USA > New York > Rockland County > History of Rockland County, New York : with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 32
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
This was the basis of all future grants, and in subse- qnent patents is mentioned as the "Christian Patented lands of Hudson's river." It was found to lie within the limits of New York, and Jacobus De Harte lost no time in procuring a confirmation of his title from the only power that could grant it, the governor of the Royal Province. This was done in 1685 and a copy is append- ed, which will be of interest as a specimen of the royal land grants. the bases of all titles.
DE HARTE'S PATENT.
" Thomas Dongan, Lieut. Governour and Vice Admirall of New Yorke and its Dependencies under his Majesty James the Second by the Grace of God of England, Scottland, ffrance and Ireland, King, Defender of the faith, &c .. Supreame Lord and Proprietor of the Colony and Province of New Yorke and its Dependencies in America, to all whome these Presents shall come, Send- eth Greeting. Whereas Phillip Carterett, Esqr., Late Governour of the Province of New Cesaria or New Jer- sey and his Council did by his Certaine Writeing or Pat- tent Bareing Date the tenth Day of Aprill Anno Dom 1671 Give and Grant unto Balthazer Dehart a Parcell of Land and Meadow Lyeing upon Hudson's River in Sev- erall Parcells Called by the Indian Names of Newasink and Yan Dakah and Caquaney and Acquamak within the limits of Averstraw Bounded on the West by a Creeke Called Menisakcungue, on the East and North by Hud- son's River, on the South by the Mountaines, Esteemed by the Surveyor Generall the Severall Parcells to Con- taine foure hundred Acres upland and Meadow English Measure togather with all Priviledges and Appurtenances thereto Appertaineing as by the said Pattent Refference being thereto had may more fully and at Large Appeare and Whereas Jacobus Dehart of New Yorke Marchant his only Brother hath Desired my Confirmation of the said Parcells of Land and Premises to him his Heires and Assignes forever in his or theire Quiett and Peacea- ble Possession Now know yee that by Virtue of the Com- mission and Authority Derived unto mee and Power in mee Resideing I have Graunted, Rattified and Confirmed and by these Presents Doe Grante Rattifie and Confirme unto the said Jacobus Dehart all and Singular the afore recited Parcells of Land and Premissess with their and
" To all Christian People to whome these present writings shall come Jacobus De Harte of the Citty of New York Mercht. sends Greeting, whereas the Honlble Collonell Thomas Dongan Late Governour of the Prov- ince of New York by his certain pattent beareing date the Nineteenth day of December Anno Dom. one thou- sand six hundred and eighty and five, And in the first yeare of the Reigne of our Late Soveraigne Lord, King James the second, did grant rattifie and confirm unto the said Jacobus De harte his heirs and assignes A parcel of land and meadow lying upon Hudson River in severall parcells called or known by the Indian names of Newa- sinke and Iandakah and Caquaney and Aquamack within the limits of Averstraw now in the County of Orange Bounded on the west by a Creeke called Menisakcongue, on the East and North by Hudson River, on the South by the Mountaines, Containing by esteemation of the Surveyor Genll Foure hundred Acres of upland and Meadowe English measure, together with all priveledges and appurtenances as in and by the said Pattent Rela- tion thereunto being had may more fully and at large every of theire Appurtenances to have and to hold the appeare. Now know yee that the said Jacobus De harte
said Parcells of Land and Premissess togather with the Appurtences thereunto belonging unto the said Jacobus Dehart his Heires and Assignes to the Sole and only Proper use Beniffitt and behoofe of him the said Ja-
Yearely on the five and Twentyth day of March att the Citty of New Yorke And for the better Preserving the Title of the Recited Parcells of Land and Premissess I have caused these Presents to be entered in the Secreta- ryes Office of this Province Given under my hand and sealed with the Seale of this Province att Fortt James in New Yorke the 19th Day of December Anno Dom 1685 and in the first Yeare of his Majestys Reigne.
" THOMAS DONGAN."
Jacobus De Harte deserves remembrance as the first real owner of Haverstraw, but it is not probable that he ever occupied the land in person. It was the custom in those days for wealthy merchants to purchase desirable tracts of land, place tenants upon them who paid a small rent, and when an opportunity afforded, sell them at an advance to other parties. We do not know the location of any of the separate parcels described by their Indian names, but many suppose that "Aquamack," which means the " end place," or farthest extent, was the abo- riginal name for Grassy Point.
In 1695, De Harte sold the land to Johannes Minnie. The deed of this sale is given in full. It is interesting, not only as a specimen of the conveyances of the early times, but as the first deed given in Haverstraw.
" This Deed entered at the request of Capt. Cornelius Cuyper the 15th of July Anno Dom 1715.'
for diverse good Causes valuable considerations him hereunto moving, more especially for and in Considera- tion of a valuable sum of money to him in hand paid att and before the ensealing and delivery hereof by Johan- nes Minnie of Averstraw, in the County of Orange, afore- said the receipt whereof he the said Jacobus De .hearte
*Hle left most of his property to his "two natural sons." He men- tions his brothers Jacobus, David, and Mathias, and sister Wilhelmnina.
1
Map of Haversiran
Etj-berk.
47 A
Waldvon 9 2 A
92 A
PETER SPENCE
1
1820. Ac
and She thord
Tobias De Koper
JACOB MULLER
14. A.
5
Ral
HI-
Z
-
3000 A.
0
Haverela. Bay
Patent. .
E
JA
E
1
tur
-
1
.
5
0
Map of ·
C
-
--
N
F
-
2
4
7 8
10
Richard & John Osbern
0
11
2
12
4
13
14
John Youngs
-
Passast Broek
1
*
"
2
TH
MAICTY
1
2
7
CHEESE GOG
S
00
X
Pi
JA
T
N
Ti
BRADLEY'S
A
15
NOT
-
7
Jer
Paimar
Cow 7
1414
GAMBELL 3 co &
1
BDC K
TEN
A
O
15/10/1|12|13 14 KELEI
15
0 PATENT
BEAR HILL
I SYNES
S TRACT
Patent i
Tame Break PEND PATENT
Short Cho
OR
von Beast
Len Ca
LAND
NYACK PATENT
QUASPEACK Fran
H
D
0
N
S
R
1
1
E
R
SLAWTERE LAND- (1710)
2
3
W
PATENT
NIC CONKLIN
R
-
N
PROVOSTS
N25 45'W -3135 ch.
₦ 2/2 A
Let
John Youngs
LOCA
Baik ...
Cur - Cu.Per
400 A
12. A.
IZO A.
A. Denton
J ALLISON
R RENION
1
V. Martin Freeman
/
400 A.
HeCK M
-
0
1
1
O
Site or down Wards Todo
KAKI
A
T
1
SOUTH MOIETY.
5
Naranchaw Greek
1000 Acres
Ya.A.
charte . Matt
NIVANOJW
9
8
KEMP
ORANGE TOWN.
Hackensack
TAPPA
( GROM
Horas taxise
BRADLEY'S CHILD"
KE-PATI
& bull.w.
GEORGE LOCKHART
ONDERNK TRACT
CORNELIUS KLASSENS
QUASPEACK
GRASSY PT
DUNDERBERG
CaIL ORth
TENT
STANY PE
Nº 1
1
HAVERSTAI W
BRADLEY AND JAMIESON STONY PT TRACT 1 Nº3
T
JN17 ISAM MIVON 370 A.
G & W. LUDLOW
R.
Nicholas Conklin Led
Y ....
K
M
Ło0 A.
10
1
11
EXPENSE LOT
Jan bauman
...
QUEENSBURY TRACT
.
-
SWA
6
15
17
22
PATENT
THAT ELLISAY
Demarest
NICH THE
DEHART'S
D
Weldrie
333 Ac
JERSEY
North River
.
E
EAT P m
ROCKLAND BOUNTY
Brock.
Trent
24 7 41 611
5
1
C
HE
1
T
4
e
m ESE
m
3
-
-
4
2
L
2
0 OT
1
4 2 A. Denton.
"w" Osbam
1600 A
5 000 ACRES. × 60 39 # 158 Ch
Shez dish
* CANN
THAIWSW8H
..
A
Stony Brook
-..
ORIGINAL DIVISION STONY POINT TRACT
BRADLEY CJAMILOON
Wahwah
Robert harris
Salomon Town.
3
SHOWING ORIGINALE LAND GRANTS. . BY William S. Pelletraau, A.M. 18 84.
Y
D
J. Haistand
Charlan Mote ..
CHILDREN
100H
PHOTO-UIT BY ROGERTASLICHE ITU WILLIAN 57 MY
--------
NORE LINE
Abraham Betts
2 A
7
HAVERSTRAW-DE HARTE'S PATENT.
143
doth hereby acknowledge and thereof and of every par- cell thereof doth Cleerly acquitt and discharge the said Johanus Mynne, his heirs and assignes forever. By these presents Hath given granted bargained sould assigned and sett over, And by these presents doth give grant bar- gaine sell assigne and sett over unto the said Johanus Minnie his heirs and assignes all his right title interest property claime and demand of in and to the aforesaid tracts and parcell of lands and meadowes and every part and parcell thereof together with all his right title inter- est of in and to all the houses barnes stables yardes gar- dens orchards and all other priviledges and appurte- nances whatsoever thereunto belonging or in any manner of ways appertaining ( Excepting and thereby only reserv- ing out of the aforesaid tracts of land Tenn Acres or five Morgan of Woodland to the use of him the said Jacobus De harte his heires and assignes forever which said tract of Tenn Acres doth lye between the Creeke Commonly known by the name of Verdrietig hook and the common Great kill and cutts himself off from the aforesaid land with a small Kill or Creeke which runs into Hudson River) To have and to hold all and singular the aforesaid tractts and parcell of lande and meadow before men- tioned to be bargained and sold and all the priveledges and appurtenances thereunto belonging (Excepting what before is excepted) unto him the said Johannes Minnie his heires and assignes to the only proper use and bene- fitt and behoofe of him the said Johannes Minnie his heirs and assignes forever.
"In Witness Whereof the said Jacobus Dehearte hath hereunto sett his hand and seale in the sixth yeare of the Reigne of our Soveraigne Lord and Lady William and Mary King and Queen over England, &c., and in the yeare of our Lord 1694.
" JACOBUS DEHEARTE.
" Sealed and delivercd in }
the presence of
" THOMAS LAWREAT, " SANS WESELLS, " PETER JACOB MARIUS."
"New York : 696-7, March ye 15th, There appeared be- fore me Leonard Lewis of his Majtys Justices of the Peace Mr. Jacobus De Heart and declared the within in- strument to be his voluntary act and deed.
" LEONARD LEWIS, Justice."
Liber No. I of the Transcribe Records from Orange County, page 139, &c.
With the exception of the small tract reserved, Johan- nes Minnie thus came in possession of the whole patent. He was a prominent man in the early days of Orange county, and was one of the original Dutch settlers. He sold one-quarter of the tract to Albert Minnie (who is supposed to have been his brother), July 19th 1694. Johannes Minnie died about 1710, and left a daughter Reynie, an only child, who married Lodowick Post, and she and her husband sold to Cornelius Claasen Kuyper and Albert Minnie, a portion of the tract estimated to be 250 acres, and by a dced dated February 22d 1714, in which the above facts arc recited. They sold to Thomas
Husk " all the residue of the parcels of land and meadow," estimated to be 150 acres. Thomas Husk and wife, Eleanor, sold this part to Charles Mott, December 13th 1715, and he sold to James Osborn, March 27th 1719, for 5400, and he in turn sold to John Allison, May 14th 1729.
Albert Minnie' by deeds, dated one May 15th, "in the 2nd year of King George the 2nd," and the other Octo- ber 30th 1729, sold his quarter of the patent bought of Johannes Minnie, and the lands bought of Lodowick Post, to John Allison, for £270.
The five morgens, or ten acres, reserved in the deed from Jacobus Dc Harte to Johannes Minnie, were sold by his son, Balthazar De Harte, "of the City of New York, glazier," to Cornelius Kuyper, " of Verdrietig Hook in the township of Haverstraw," September 7th 1719.
Captain Cornelius Kuyper, died March 5th 1731, and the share belonging to him went to his son Nicholas, or, as he is termed in the old deeds, "Klaas Kuyper," who died about 1760, and left it to his six sons and two daughters, and Nicholas, Cornelius, Walfert, Abraham, and Jacobus, five of the sons, sold their shares to John De Noyelles, June 6th 1769, and May Ist 1767, and the rest of the children about the same time. The patent granted to De Harte was doubtless understood as ex- tending along the mountains as far as the Long Clove. Nicholas Kuyper sold to John Allison a tract which is described as " lying on the north side of the mountains called Verdrietig Hook, and bounded east by the Hud- son river, North by a run of water coming out of a valley commonly called the Short Clove, South by the moun- tain and Southeast by a run of water coming out of a valley called the Long Clove, June 16th 1741." Thc five morgens of wood land reserved in the first deed were probably a part of this.
In this manner the whole tract became the property of the Allisons and De Noyelles, and a large portion of it is still owned by their descendants. The patent re- mained undivided for a long time after the purchase, but by a sort of mutual arrangement the De Noyelles had the south and the Allisons the north part, and on the 29th of May 1792, the following division was made, which separated two estates now immensely valuable, and increasing in value every year. John De Noyclles died January 1Ith 1775, and his share went to his sons John and Peter, and the share of John Allison went to his son Joseph, by will, in 1754.
' May 29th 1792.
"Whereas the said Joseph Allison and John De Noy- elles, deceased, father of John De Noyelles and Peter De Noyelles, were part owners of the Patent called De Hart's Patent, lying in Haverstraw, and the above named having agreed to a division thereof as follows (thic salt marsh or meadows excepted, which is separately divided according to their respective shares in the said Patent): Now this witnesses that Joseph Allison, for the sum of five shillings, has released and granted to the said De Noyelles, all his right to all the lands lying south of a
19
144
HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.
certain line, Beginning at a certain rock laying on the easterly side of the public road that leads from Haver- straw to Kakiat, and on the westerly bounds of the said Patent, and within the enclosure, and appears in the form of a sugar loaf, and from the said rock the line turns first South 54 degrees one quarter east, twelve chains and forty links to a stump, then South 13 degrees East, three chains to a chestnut tree, and the same course continued 10 chains and 77 links to a small hickory tree, then South 23 degrees East, 5 chains to a black oak tree, then North 78 degrees East, 16 chains 20 links on the southerly side of the road, which is a corner, to the said Joseph Alli- son, John Suffern, Thomas Smith and Peter De Noyelles, and thence southerly and easterly along the land that Joseph Allison hath conveyed to Thomas Smith and John Shepherd to Hudson River, With all the lands to the south of the said line and to extend southerly to the small brook south of the said John Suffern's house at the landing.".
The landmarks in the above description require to be noticed. The rock, "in the form of a sugar loaf." stood at the west end of the north line of the present home- stead of Garret G. Allison, on the east side of the road to Mount Repose Cemetery; and this road was the west line of the patent. The land above to the west was sold to John Allison by Richard Coombs, Samuel Mills, and others, " being the first lot in number in the 100 acre lots in Kakiat," and bounded East by the Haverstraw Patent, now John Allison's, North by Croms' land, and west by the lot laid out for John Mott, and South by the mountains." May 17th 1733. The land of Thomas Smith and John Shepherd was the tract now bounded by Broadway, West street, Main street, South street, and Hudson River.
THE DIVISION OF THE POND PATENT.
That part of Clarkstown which lies to the east of the Hackensack River, with the exception of the land next to the Hudson River at Nyack and Upper Nyack, is embraced in a patent granted to Jarvis Marshall and William Welch, September 7th 1690. This tract is de. scribed as " All that tract lying upon the Hudson River called by the native Indians Quaspack. Beginning at the the east side of a certain kill, and from thence runs north 60° east to a certain walnut tree, and so to the Hudson River, and then southerly by the river to the north line of Cornelius Claasen's, and tlience by his north bounds to the ridge or top of the mountains, then along the ridge southerly to the land of Thomas Dow, then by his land west to a certain red oak tree standing on the east side of the kill aforesaid, thence by the kill to the place where it begun. Bounded north by Johan- nes Miller, east by Hudson River and the land of Corne- lius Claasen and Thomas Dow and west by Demarest's Kill."
The name of " Johannes Miller " as found above, is doubtless an error. It was probably Johannes Minnie, who about that time was the owner of De Harte's Patent or the tract now embraced in the village of Haverstraw.
Jarvis Marshall and wife, Eleanor, sold their half of the patent to Thomas Burroughs, a merchant of New York, December 17th 1695, and he sold one-quarter of his half to William Huddlestone, September 6th 1698. William Welch probably sold his half to John Hutchins. In 1700 the whole tract was owned as follows: John Hutchins one half, John Sands, "of Cow Neck, Long Island," one-quarter, William Huddlestone one-eighth, and Daniel Whitehead, also of Long Island, one-eighth. October 15th 1700, these parties agreed that the patent should be divided among them by Augustine Graham, the surveyor general. The tract was first divided into two parts by a line thus described: "Beginning at an oak tree on the west side of Quaspack pond, on the north end of a small hassocky meadow, thence south 72° west to Demarest's Kill, and east on the same course to the river." The south part, which was estimated to be 2,500 acres, fell to John Hutchins. The north half was divided into three parts. Of these, John Sands had the north part, estimated to be 1,400 acres. This part was bounded on the south by " a line of marked trees running from the pond north 49° 55' west to Demarest's kill." Next south came the share of William Huddlestone, which was sep- arated from the part of Daniel Whitehead by a line run- ning north 75° west. The parts belonging to Huddle- stone and Whitehead were each estimated to be 550 acres.
John Hutchins sold to " John Slawter, of Long Island, 200 acres of land in Quaspack patent, bounded on the east 200 feet from the edge of the hill fronting Hudson river, and to the north to the land of said John Slawter, and to the west to the partition line on the great pond, and on the south to the land of John Hutchins." This is dated May 22d 1711,* and makes the first mention made of the man from whom " Slawter's Landing " de- rives its name, a name which continued till within a few years when modern fastidiousness changed Quaspack Pond to Rockland Lake. Some time after this it seems that a company of German settlers bought a large part, if not the whole, of the remaining land of John Hutch- ings. Among these was Peter Geslar, who, with his wife, Antie, sold to John Ryder, June 8th 1753, "All that tract of land near the pond, in that [tract] the Germans have bought there of some gentlemen. This is a lot that did fall to the share of Peter Geslar, and is bounded by the lands of William Felta, Abm. Paulding, Hendrick Snyder, John Ryder and Yoris Remsen, containing 225 acres, but if there shall be more than 225 acres then John Ryder must pay 40s. an acre." This deed was confirmed by another given December 5th 1759, by Paulus, Her- manus, and Ury, the three sons of Peter Geslar.t The Valley Cottage station, on the West Shore Railroad, stands on this tract, and a portion is still in the posses-
*This deed and the others mentioned in the description of the south half of this patent are now In the hands of Jolm Ryder, at Valley Cot- tuge railroad station.
+The will of Peter Gealar is dated March 13th 1256. It mentlons wife Antie, and sons Paulus, Hermanns, and Ury, and grandsons Paulus and Tunis, "sons of my late son Peter." He leaves to his sons and grand- sons all his estato.
£
1
145
HAVERSTRAW-DIVISION OF POND PATENT.
sion of the descendants of John Ryder. A tract on the bridge over the kill, and thence to place of beginning." east side of the Quaspack Pond, extending to the river, In 1769, Abraham Onderdonk sold to John Ryder "one third of a tract of 18 acres, 6 acres bounded east by King's road, south by Kill Von Beast, west by a small brook, north by Tunis Remsen, being the south end of a small tract of land given by my grandfather, Yoris Rem- sen, to his three daughters Ann, Artie and Lamertie, of which I own one-third, being the only heir of Artie Remsen." was bought by John Earl and Stephen Bourdet, " gold- smith of New York," and it is described as extending " from the south bounds of Tunis Snedeker, to a straight line running along the northwest bounds of Hermanus Hoffman, being part of a tract formerly belonging to John Hutchins, Esq." This was divided between them March 20th 1746, by a line " from the east side of the pond, eight rods north of the corner tree of Hermanus NORTH HALF OF POND PATENT. Hoffman, and to run to the point of rocks called Stony Point, and to continue in a straight line to Hudson's river." It was agreed that " the place on the river under the mountain, called Kalk Hook shall remain in com- mon." Stephen Bourdet had the north part, and he sold it to John Johnson, of New York, May 7th 1747. This part is mentioned as 300 acres, "also one-half of Shell hill, the whole being 6 acres ranging along the south bounds of John Earl."
The tract that belonged to Daniel Whitehead at the time of division seems to have been resold to Thomas Burroughs. By liis will, dated August 18th 1703, he left it to his youngest son, Joel, and his daughter, Mary, wife of Brinley Sylvester, of Shelter Island. They divi- ded the land by a line running from Quaspack Pond to Demarest's Kill; Joel Burroughs had the north part and Mary Sylvester the south part. The deed of partition, dated at Southold, Long Island, February 14th 1718, is now in possession of Mr. Isaac De Baun, of Haverstraw. Joel sold his part to " Yoris Remsen, of Newtown, Long Island," November 6th 1728. He left it to his son, Theodorus Remsen, and he in turn left it to his sons, George and Johannes, who divided it June 16th 1766.
Hermanus Hoffman was one of the early settlers and owned a "plantation " or farm, which seems to have been on the east side of Quaspack Pond near the south end. In his will, dated February 15th 1752, he leaves to his "oldest son, Hermanus 106 acres on the south side of my plantation," and to his " son Jurry 106 acres on the north side of my plantation during his life, then to his Of the transfers of the share of William Huddlestone nothing is now known; but in 1737 it was owned wholly or in part by Jacob Polhemus. heirs."* David, son of Ury Hoffman, sold Abner Brush 39 acres of his share, bounded west by the pond, south by Ephraim Terrell, Esq., north by John Ryder, south- THE SNEDEKER ESTATE. west by William Dobbs, August 3d 1772. Abner Brush sold it to John Ryder in 1775. The tract that John Earl The most beautiful portion of Clarkstown is the fertile tract of land lying between the Hackensack River or Demarest's Kill and the mountains that border the river, and extending south to the road that leads to Rockland Lake. This was the portion of the Pond Patent which owned seems to have been sold to Abner Brush, and by him to Thomas Newman. He died in 1759, and it was sold to John Ryder by the executors, December 3d 1759. A more important sale was made March 19th 1767, when John Ryder sold to Garret, Theodorus, Abraham, and | fell to the share of Captain John Sands, and was sold by John Snedeker a tract "Beginning at the hassocky mead- ow on the west side of the pond and running north 72º east to the south side of a rock, on the top of the hill in the clove of the mountains, marked X thence to Hud- son's River to Slawter's Landing to a large rock, thence along the the river south 40 chains, thence to place of beginning." This is evidently the northeast corner of the tract of John Hutchins. him to the Snedekers, a family of some importance in the county. Tunis Snedeker, who was a native of Hemp- stead, Long Island, and who lived there in 1710, is sup- posed to have been the father of Theodorus, Abraham, Tunis, Johannes, and Garret. He came to this part of the county as early as 1731, and bought the tract above referred to. He died August 3d 1750, probably intestate, for his sons gave quit claim deeds to each other for their The stream that crosses the Kings road to the north of Valley Cottage station was called by the Dutch settlers "Kill Von Beast " or Beast's Brook. This ran through the land owned by Yoris Remsen, and his family had a mill on it as early as 1750. separate tracts. Johannes Snedeker's part lay between the King's road and Demarest's Kill. The part of Gar- ret Snedeker was 423 acres "strict measure," and the deed signed by his brothers Theodorus, Johannes, and Abraham, dated May 20th 1722, described it as " Begin- Paulus Geslar and wife, Leah, sold to John Ryder, June 1751, 150 acres "beginning where a small brook falls into Kill Von Beast on the south side, thence southi- erly along the banks to the southerly division line between Yoris Remsen and Peter Geslar, then southwest along that line 129 rods, then northwest 136 rods, to the south side of Kill Von Beast near the mill dam of Elizabeth north was a walnut tree standing at the foot of the Remsen, and along the south side of the mill pond to the ning at a white oak tree standing in or near a line of old marked trees which run from the pond, thence along that line north 44° 15' west to an elm tree standing by a highway." Its western boundary was the highway called the King's road. It was also bounded part of the way by the land of Johannes Snedeker, and its furthest extent mountain above the Long Clove. The general bound- *He mentions his wife Gertrude, and his daughters Catrina Snyder, Leah Geslar, Christena, and Rachel. aries as given in the deed were "South by the land of Jacob Polhemus, deceased, west partly by the road and
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.